Green Door Magazine: Summer 2011

WOOD STOCK 2.0 STORY OF CHANGE

Rustic Style

Restful Comfort

VOLUME 1 No. 1 SUMMER 2011 $4.99

BALANCING TALK WITH SCULPTOR ACT ZAC SHAVRICK HONEST VINTNERS HONEST VINTAGE

SUMMER IN THIS ISSUE 5

GREETINGS My Home. My Haven.

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FOLK A Balancing Act Sculptor Zac Shavrick functions comfortably between the extremes of art.

11 HOME Rustic Style Restful Comfort The purveyors of Catskill Harvest Market take us behind the scenes of their North Branch home.

17 NEIGHBORS Around Town Your local calendar of events and happenings.

25 LOCAVORE 25 Restaurant Review 26 Ancient Traditions.

Modern Practices.

Much of the modern farming movement is propelled by an inward search for holiness.

29 Honest Vintners, Honest Vintage What you put into life comes out in your wine.

32 Recipe

34 Back To The Future 86 The more things change, the more things stay the same.

36 Hotel Review 37 The Bookshelf 38 ENDPAPER 38 Woodstock 2.0 The philosophy of Woodstock still continues in the Catskills.

40 Flower Power

COVER PHOTO: VILLEDIEU CHRISTOPHE INSIDE PHOTO: 29SEPTEMBER

34 TRAVEL

EDITOR Akira Ohiso PUBLISHER Ellie Ohiso ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Nathan Steingart DESIGN DIRECTOR Aaron Fertig COPY EDITOR Donata C. Marcus ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Carole Joy ADVERTISING MANAGER Rachel Steingart PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Ira Steingart PRODUCTION MANAGER Cindy Perlmutter CIRCULATION DIRECTOR John A. Morthanos CONTACT US Green Door P.O. Box 143 Liberty, NY 12754 info@greendoormag.com www.greendoormag.com Printed on recycled paper Green Door Magazine (ISSN # 21617465) is published quarterly -Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter - by Green Door Magazine Inc. All rights reserved.

Subscription rate is $8.00 annually. U.S. subscriptions can be purchased online at greendoormag.com or by mail. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings, and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your attention, please accept our sincere apologies and notify us. Address all letters to editor@greendoormag.com. Postmaster: Address all inquiries to Circulation Department, Green Door Magazine, P.O. Box 143, Liberty, New York 12754. No part of this publication may be used without written permission of the publisher Š2011.

GREETINGS

ELLIE OHISO

My Home.

My Haven.

It's 3:45 in the afternoon. The house is quiet and still, with Neko, the fastidious cat, on guard duty. I am sitting at my desk enjoying a cup of coffee in my last few minutes of silence for the day. In 22 minutes, my children will come bursting through the door from school and the house will be filled with noise and activity again.

I know what to expect. They will be excited to tell me about their day, talking at the same time. My younger son will want to show me what he made at school; the older one will then slip quietly away to his room to play or the basement to color. Soon, there may be some quarreling or tears. I prepare a snack for them, and revel in the reassuring sounds of family.

I think about the home my husband and I have made. Not built, made. I love the home’s soft cream walls and hand-crafted built-ins, but it is what we have infused within the wood siding and bricks that matters. This home is my family’s haven. Hopefully safe from terror, but not

insular, just comfortable and secure because it reflects us.

We came from the ‘city’ – it seems like another planet – to seek a more relaxed lifestyle and catch each other’s smiles, rather than the 5:27. Be assured that relaxed does not mean the absence of pressure. That follows you wherever you go and rest comes however you unplug. But here as I feel the pressure of trying to meet all the various needs of my family, I realize that I have a safety net of my choosing. It is this haven called home.

I work from home but it is not an office; it is where I feel self-expressed through my creative work. My husband works a short distance from home, but we share much of every day with tweets and emails and quick calls.

Sullivan County, in this rambling house with the green door, is where we have chosen to call home and grow as a family and as human beings. And this place, this life, makes me smile whenever I walk through my green door.

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SCULPTOR

A Balancing Act: Sculptor Zac Shavrick Drive through the winding roads of the Catskills and you pass myriad slanted barns and rusty silos. But, there is one slanted barn and rusty silo in the hills of Ferndale, NY that may catch your eye. Strange steel sculptures peak through knee-high grass, scraps of rusty steel lay about not from neglect, but as a future choice, and sculptor Zac Shavrick’s barn door is wide open to peer into as a giant monster head sits decapitated on a welding table.

Most artists are just starting their art careers at 24 or deferring the real world for MFA programs, but Zac Shavrick has been creating sculptures since the age of 4.

With twenty years under his belt, he is wise beyond his years.

He talks mockingly about the superstar artists like Jeff Koons and Richard Serra who have teams of fabricators building their sculptures. “He draws a line like that,” says Shavrick, drawing a shallow arc to mimic Serra’s minimalist

PHOTOS: AARON FERTIG

CONT’D ON PAGE 8

I find it unfitting to diverge from my chosen path especially to cause myself unnecessary bereavement.

Suffice to say I am a stubborn bastard.

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FOLK

SCULPTOR

behemoths. But when asked if he would welcome this kind of fame, he smiled, devilishly, and said, “Of course I would.”

He pulled out the first sculpture he completed as an art student at SUNY Purchase.

Shavrick is a throwback to a time when artists apprenticed and created art for sheer process and the love of creating art. He expressed frustration about the constraints of commissioned work where his creativity is stifled, but does it because it affords him the ability to create art he loves.

He marks time by his sculptures.

His father, a former ironworker in Israel, who was welding gates for a living, started creating steel sculptures in his late twenties and when Shavrick was little he let him toddle around the shop. Shavrick grabs a handful of strap metal from the ground and plops it on the table. “My father would give me a bunch of scraps and tell me to have fun.” Then his father would weld his design together. At age 5, Shavrick was welding by himself and completed his first full sculpture.

He still lives with his father who continues to work from time to time, but Shavrick says he is on the “injured list” these days. Horses roam their large property and Shavrick and his father rent their land to a horse breeder. At one point his father came out to the barn and threw Shavrick a duffle bag.

Shavrick says that many of the teachers at Purchase had “ideas about what art should be” and constantly tried to redirect his subject matter, but Shavrick always rebelled against academia. He attended the Hebrew Day School in Kiamesha Lake and then Liberty High School and says he consistently flirted with failure. But he noticed the teachers who were artistic and gravitated towards them.

He told a story where he created a sculpture of text for a college class that read: I find it unfitting to diverge from my chosen path Especially to cause myself unnecessary bereavement Suffice to Say I am a stubborn bastard When it was critiqued in class, his teacher liked it, but behind closed doors told Shavrick that he was basically saying “F*** You.” One teacher understood Zac, though. Professor Phil Listengart told Shavrick to sculpt what he loved to sculpt.

It seems Professor Listengart understood Zac’s need to act out and channel his stubbornness.

Professor Listengart’s mentor was Ivan Mestrovic who in turn worked under the tutelage of the progenitor of modern sculpture, Auguste Rodin. Shavrick is very proud to be six degrees of Auguste Rodin, and is humbled by his predecessor’s classical training.

Shavrick continued to go to the city with his father to feed his burgeoning passion. Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas was seminal imagery in young Shavrick’s life and he sculpted every character from the movie.

He remembers seeing a postcard of 80’s pop artist Kenny Sharf that spoke to his childhood imagination. It makes sense that Kenny Sharf ’s pop surrealist art influenced by pop art, TV imagery, and street culture caught Shavrick’s eye. Shavrick is able to use metal as though it were fluid, which is very much an influence of Sharf ’s early mural work.

As a child, Shavrick’s would spend weekends at his mother’s apartment in Kew Gardens, Queens. He started venturing into nearby Shavrick’s sculpture at age 5 On the back of the postcard was a listing for Brooklyn and hanging around skate shops like KCDC and the former Autumn Bowl, where he was the Tony Shafrazi gallery. Shavrick asked his father to take exposed to the creative petri dish of street culture. Graffiti him to the gallery where he actually met Kenny Scharf at artists, skateboarders, musicians, tattoo artists, and anyone one of his early exhibitions. who was hangin’ around became fodder for Shavrick’s At age 8, Shavrick’s father took him to an old Macy’s creative gestalt. warehouse in Queens where a group of sculptors called In many ways, he was a product of his time, mind you at age “The Three Johns” held exhibitions. On another occasion 7, where creative mediums were colliding into each other to they visited the Socrates Sculpture Park in Long create patchworked aesthetics, deconstructed delineations, Island City where he immediately recognized JJ and unfinished endings.

Veronis’ Street Sign Art. Shavrick’s mother moved to Israel when he was 7, but Precocious Shavrick was CONT’D ON NEXT PAGE

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CONT’D FROM PAGE 9

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able to get JJ Veronis’ address and his father drove him to Veronis’ place. Zac left a note. The next day JJ Veronis called back while he was at Green Tree Acres summer camp in Ferndale, NY. He remembers his father picking him up from camp to drive to the city to meet Veronis. Veronis became a creative mentor to Shavrick and they have been friends ever since.

He is a voracious reader these days and is fascinated by mathematics and physics. He listens to Richard Feynman lectures while he works. Bob Marley’s face is emblazoned on his t-shirt. He doesn’t know where his work is going, but knows it’s going somewhere. He is wise enough to know that he doesn’t need to know. I sense transition. I sense a shift.

Shavrick works every day and states that professional artists don’t find inspiration they just go to work. He works at least 5 hours a day and relaxes by joining pick-up soccer games with Latino workers from the local chicken plant down the road. It seems Shavrick’s life is about balancing extremes and he is often pulled away from the isolation of rural Sullivan County to New York City to refuel. He finds the long cold winters especially hard, but understands that the city can be constant stimulation, which take away from his work. Constraints seem to both free and enslave him.

He seems to inhabit a space on the edge. But, maybe this is the space Shavrick has always inhabited – a place of constant unknown with the surety that he will always be working because he has done so for most of his young life.

When asked if any of his giant-headed sculptures ever tip over, he said, “No, but if they did I would just build a bigger base.”

HOME

NORTH BRANCH

PHOTOS: AARON FERTIG

Rustic Style Restful Comfort The first thing that catches your eye is the gaggle of geese parading across the expansive grounds behind the elegant white fence. And then you see the gardens, which speak for themselves. They tell stories of summer nights and moonlit skies making way for the sun’s rays to awaken a vast CONT’D ON PAGE 12 assortment of flowers and plants.

HOME

NORTH BRANCH

CONT’D FROM PAGE 11

Working with the environment’s myriad streams and diverse topography, these are no ordinary gardens; they are well-planned environments that reflect the same character and detail as the home, but appear uncomposed, just as if they were all brought together by nature. It is Dan’s little secret that all the beautiful moss on the stones evolved from spilled German beer.

Dan and his partner’s home in North Branch is filled with rustic tones, period antiques, original wooden details, and a welcoming cast-iron stove, and their interior design philosophy is one of restful comfort updated for today’s easy living. The interior’s sturdy natural materials harken back to quieter times. It is as if you can tell that the family that built the home a century ago were German blacksmiths.

Floorboards exposed wear down over time and yet endure.

Their furniture is plump and inviting, and this creates a space that is at once both soothing and natural.

They moved from Chelsea in Manhattan because they were looking for life to grow in a different direction. Their friend,

The century-old home sits majestically on the rise in front of the duck pond.

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Dan’s grandparents keep a watchful eye on the master bedroom.

A wood burning stove adds some extra warmth during the chilly North Branch winters.

HOME

NORTH BRANCH Bright colors and fabrics extend a special welcome in the guestroom.

Antique Wall Clock Lee Hartwell Antiques, $500 Callicoon, NY 845-887-6727

The Diviner’s Tale - Bradford Morrow Catskill Harvest, $26, Liberty, NY catskillharvest.com 845-292-3838

Oil Painting - Eva Drizhal $700, evadrizhal.com

Napkin Ring Catskill Harvest, $3.99, Liberty, NY catskillharvest.com 845-292-3838 14

The elegant gardens, as seen here through a second floor window, complement the home’s interior.

HOME

NORTH BRANCH

CONT’D FROM PAGE 12

Will, asked them to help him start a business up here, and Catskill Harvest has been going strong for almost four years. In fact, the eggs available at their local market come from their hardy - and noisy - Araucanas chickens, who also contribute fertilizer for their garden. Overlooking it all is their dog, Sascha, a short-haired German pointer mix they rescued from a shelter in Honesdale, Pennsylvania.

One senses the creative energy in this home immediately upon entering, as if it were the workplace of an artist. And indeed the home’s creative soul is fed by the efforts of these two talented individuals. This beautiful country house reflects their keen eye for detail. The walls are filled with art that is personal, created by them and by their friends.

In their art studio you can feel how they partner with nature, as the fragrance that the flowers exhale is breathed in by the artist and transformed onto canvas.

The gardens follow the natural flow of streams on the grounds.

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A stained glass window salvaged from the chicken coop adorns the parlor.

NEIGHBORS Your local calendar of events and happenings around the Catskill Mountains and throughout the Hudson Valley.

JUNE

County.

1 Idaho: A Musical Comedy Forestburgh Playhouse stage performances on Tuesday-Saturday evenings 8pm, Wednesday 2pm and Sun 3pm. Professional summer theatre presenting Broadway musicals, plays and children's theatre in an air-conditioned barn theatre. 845-7941194. Forestburgh Playhouse & Tavern, 39 Forestburgh Rd., Forestburgh, NY. Sullivan County.

10 "Into the Woods" Stephen Sondheim's musical with acting talent from all over Greene County. A musical for everyone, based on a variety of fairytales. Hours: 8-10:30pm. Admission: $14/adults, $10/ students & seniors. Through June 12. Dragonfly Performing Arts Center, 473 Main Street, Cairo, NY 12413. Greene County.

2 West Mountain Jam Fest VII 4-day music festival with camping, hotels, condos and house rentals. Past performers include Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Allman Brothers, Gov't Mule, Levon Helm, Michael Franti and many others. Hunter Mountain Ski Bowl, Route 23a, Hunter, NY 12442. Greene County.

3 Mixed Media Art Exhibit Charles Wilkins. Through June 25. Tuesday-Friday 9am-5pm, Saturday 10am-4pm. 845-252-7576. Delaware arts center, 37 Main St., Narrowsburg, NY. Sullivan County.

3 Paw Presents "Dangerous Obsession" A suspenseful British mystery by N. J. Crisp. Through June 19.

Showtimes: Friday & Saturday, 8 Pm, Sunday, 7 pm. Thursday, June 9, starts 8 pm and tickets by donation. Other shows, tickets are $15/pp, $12/seniors & students. Woodstock Town Hall, 76 Tinker Street, Woodstock, NY 12498. Ulster County 3 Digital Media Exhibit June 3-25. Friday 9am-5pm, Saturday 10am-4pm. 845-252-7576.

Loft gallery, 37 Main St., Narrowsburg, NY. Sullivan County.

4 New Baltimore Antique Machinery & Agricultural Festival Open airfield display of antique agricultural machinery and tractor pull, activities for children, live bands, food and more.

Starts at 9am. Two days. Free admission. Vanetten Farm Saw Mill Road, New Baltimore, NY 12124. Greene County.

4 Film, Music & Dessert Potluck Bring a dessert to share an evening alongside the Delaware River.

Join us far a screening of the movie ‘Frack.’ Asking donation of ten dollars at the door. 845-468-7063. Delaware Community Center, 8 Creamery Rd., Callicoon, NY. Sullivan County.

4 River Day The tugboat Mathilda, art competition & exhibition, music all day long, children's activities, wood carving. Free. 11 am-7 pm. Deck tours of the Half Moon 11 am-5 pm. Hudson River Maritime Museum, 50 Rondout Landing. Kingston, NY 12401. Ulster

11 Meredith Dairy Fest Summer Festival with cow plop bingo, kids rides, petting zoo, dancing, music, and food. Come support the local volunteer fire department. Admission free, parking $5 a carload. No pets. Hours: 10am to 5pm. Through June 12. 607-746-6882. Turnpike Road, Meridale, NY 13806. Delaware County.

11 Brunch by the River Enjoy a day at the farm. Take a tour, see the animals, flowers, and vegetable fields, then dine riverside at a communal table. Chef Patrick Connolly of Bobo NYC will be creating unique dishes with organic produce from the farm. All ages. 845-985-2519.

Neversink Farm. 635 Claryville Rd., Claryville, NY. Sullivan County.

11 Round Top Senior Soccer Tournament Senior annual soccer tournament with over 40 teams competing over 2 days. Special events. Free admission and parking.

Riedlbauer's Resort, 43 Ravine Drive, Round Top, NY 12423.

Greene County.

11 8th Annual Trout Parade Events begin at 11:30am; parade at 1pm. Features a wide variety of music, entertainment and floats. Antique and classic cars, puppets, arts and crafts fair, specialty foods from local vendors and children's activities. 845-436-4227. Downtown, Main St., Livingston Manor, NY. Sullivan County.

11 Motorcycle Spring Run Take a beautiful guided tour on your motorcycle through the Catskill Mountains to Ommegang brewery. Enjoy a roadside catered lunch. $40/person. Blackthorne Resort, 348 Sunside Road, East Durham, NY 12423. Greene County.

11 Family Day Car Cruise-In 2-6pm, free admission. View classic, hot-rod, low-rider, muscle, tuner and more. Activities include horseback riding, fishing, hiking trails, gift shop, and country market. 845-439-5867.

Sonoma Falls, 140 Old Liberty Rd., Livingston Manor, NY 12758. Sullivan County.

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NEIGHBORS

LOCAL EVENTS & HAPPENINGS

11 Garden Fair A day-long event featuring select hardy trees, shrubs, perennials, and native plants, plus advice from master gardeners.

Refreshments. Hours: 10am-3pm. Free admission. Mountaintop Arboretum, Route 23c & Maude Adams Road, Tannersville, NY 12485. Greene County.

12 Tractor Parade 12-3pm. Tractors old and new, large and small, parade down main street at 12 noon. After the parade, stay for the chicken barbecue and entertainment. 845-887-4444. Downtown & Delaware Community Center, Main St. & Creamery Rd., Callicoon, NY. Sullivan County.

14 "Shirley Valentine" Main stage performance through June 19. Tuesday-Saturday at 8pm, Wednesday at 2pm, Sun at 3pm. The story of an English woman, who changes her life by going to Greece on a holiday by herself. Once there, she finds romance and her own sense of worth. 845-794-1194. Forestburgh Playhouse & Tavern, 39 Forestburgh Rd., Forestburgh, NY. Sullivan County.

15 Daryl Hall & John Oates Concert 6:30pm doors open; 8pm show time. 845-583-2000. Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Rd., Bethel, NY. Sullivan County.

17 Durham Balloon Festival Balloon festival, tethering, kite flying, field events for all ages, sack race, egg toss, 3-legged race, raffles, face painting, vendors, vehicle display. Hot air balloons fly on Friday at dusk, Saturday at dawn & dusk, Sun at dawn, weather permitting. Free admission. Hours: 10am-4pm. Through June 19. The Milk Run, Route 145, East Durham, NY 12423. Greene County.

24 Talk on Catskill Trails & Hikes Lecture by authors David and Carol White who will present slides of the trails throughout the Catskill forest preserve. They lead hikes, and help rebuild lean-tos. Free admission. Hours: 7:309pm. Mountain Top Historical Society, 5132 Route 23a, Haines Falls, NY 12436. Greene County.

24 Audubon and Friends Art Exhibit Through July 17, Sat & Sun 9am-5pm; opening reception on June 24th at 5:30pm. An exhibition of birds and butterflies in conjunction with the Sullivan County Audubon Society, will feature 17 artists and photographers at the upstairs gallery.

917-747-6895. Flour Power Bakery, 87 Debruce Rd., Livingston Manor, NY. Sullivan County.

25 Garden Party 5pm-dusk. Join an arts-themed garden party benefit for the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance, sample foods featuring edible flowers and the best local food available. Dress up in your summer finest. 845-482-3333. Cutting Garden, 4055 state Route 52, Youngsville, NY. Sullivan County.

25 Round Top's 19th Annual Bavarian Summerfest Lots of family fun! German music and food. Bavarian bands and folk dancing. Music starting at 1pm. Free admission and parking. Hours: Saturdayurday from 12-9pm, Sunday from 12-8pm. Riedlbauers Resort, 57 Ravine Drive, Round Top, NY 12473.

Greene County.

18 Shawangunk Wine Trail Around the world in 80 miles. Receive a 'passport' to sample wines at eleven wineries in the magnificent Shawangunk mountain region, where each winery represents a different country. Enjoy samplings of food paired with local wines. Reservations are highly recommended for this popular event. Until June 19. Ulster County.

25 Microbrew & Music Festival Listen to live music while tasting microbrews from local breweries and eating BBQ from the dinosaur BBQ. Hours: 11am-7pm. $10/person. Sunny Hill Resort, 352 Sunny Hill Road, Greenville, NY 12083. Greene County.

18 CAS Exhibit Through July 17, Thurs-Saturday 11am-6pm and Sun 11am3pm. CAS summer members show. 845-436-4227. Catskill Art Society, 48 Main Street, Livingston Manor, NY. Sullivan County.

26 Arts and Crafts Fair 1 am-3pm; free admission, Audubon arts & crafts fair. 845-4394325. Waterwheel Junction, 5 Main Street, Livingston Manor, NY. Sullivan County.

18 Round Top Junior Soccer Tournament Junior soccer tournament with many international teams competing. Food and drink. Free admission and parking. Through June 19. Riedlbauers Resort, 57 Ravine Drive, Round Top, NY 12473. Greene County.

26 “Darwin II: The Comeuppance of Man" Stage performance at 4pm; written by Glen Berger, this is a delightful and madcap public apology from an Argentine thief for his unauthorized acquisitions of rare Darwin documents, followed by a family supper for audience and artists. 845-557-0694. NACL Theatre, 110 Highland Lake Rd., Highland Lake, NY. Sullivan County.

21 "Biloxi Blues" Through June 26. Tuesday-Saturday at 8pm, Wednesday at 2pm, Sunday at 3pm. Neil Simon at the peak of his comic power has 18

written a heartwarming coming of age story based on his own experiences in the army. 845-794-1194. Forestburgh Playhouse & Tavern, 39 Forestburgh Rd., Forestburgh, NY. Sullivan County.

28 "Man of la Mancha" Main stage performance through July 10, Tuesday-Saturday at 8pm, Wed at 2pm, Sun at 3pm. Broadway's timeless musical tells the romantic journey of a knight who sets out to right all wrongs.

845-784-1194. Forestburgh Playhouse & Tavern, 39 Forestburgh Rd., Forestburgh, NY. Sullivan County.

29 Margaretville Fireman's Field Days Annual firemen's field days carnival with lots of exciting rides, food, and games. Classic and antique car show, fireworks, and live music. Through July 4. Village of Margaretville pavilion, Margaretville, NY 12455. Delaware County.

30 Young Audience Stage Performances Through Augustust 20, Thurs & Saturday at 11am. "The Wizard of Oz" and "The 3 Little Pigs" 845-784-1194. Forestburgh Playhouse & Tavern, 39 Forestburgh Rd., Forestburgh, NY. Sullivan County.

JULY 1 Mixed Media Exhibit Through July 23; Tuesday-Friday 9am 5pm; Saturday 10am-4pm.

Kathy Grady: mixed media on fabric. 845-252-7576. Delaware Arts Center, 37 Main St., Narrowsburg, NY. Sullivan County.

2 Treadwell Stagecoach Run Art Festival Free open studios. The self-guided tour will offer art, demonstrations, and workshops to the public. On view from 10 am to 5 pm, the festival is free, and artists are on hand to talk with visitors. One can see paintings rendered in oil, egg tempera, or watercolor, wood engraving, collage, pen and ink, etching, sculpture and photography. Through July 7. Treadwell/Franklin, NY 13846. Delaware County.

2 Photo Workshops Weekends through August. Lou Jawitz will present Neversink photo workshops for scenic and nature photography. Jawitz's work has been widely exhibited in numerous New York City and upstate galleries. 845-434-0575. Route 42, Woodbourne, NY. Sullivan County.

2 Annual Windham Sand Castle Contest Great family fun. Bring pails and shovels. Sponsored by the Windham Arts Alliance, and other community associations. Free admission. Hours: 9:30am-12:30pm. Rain date: July 3rd. C.D. Lane Park Lake, County Route 56, Maplecrest, NY 12454.

Greene County.

2 East Branch Annual Firemen's Field Days & Baseball Day Come enjoy three days of fun, food, carnival rides, live music, flea market, softball and fireworks. Friday & Saturday. 607-363-7751.

East Branch Fireman's Field, East Branch, NY 13756. Delaware County 2 Taste Of The Catskills At Maple Shade Farm Come experience the harvest of the Catskills - from fresh field

greens and young veggies, to pasture raised meats, to sweets from honey to maple syrup. Enjoy fun activities for the kids and music.

Through July 7. 2066 County Highway 18, Delhi, NY 13753.

Delaware County.

3 New York Philharmonic Concert 5:30pm parking, 6:30pm doors open, 8pm show time. New York Philharmonic with Bramwell Tovey, Conductor: Kirill Gerstein, Piano: The United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps Major Brian Dix, Director and Commanding Officer. 845-583-2000.

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Rd., Bethel, NY. Sullivan County.

3 Belleayre Music Festival World-class performers with all the music styles you could wish for: jazz, opera, Broadway, country, rock-n-roll and more.

Beautiful Catskill mountain setting. Bluestone cafe on premises for food, drinks, refreshments. Weekends, July through September. Belleayre Mountain Ski Center, 181 Galli Curci Rd., Highmount, NY 12441. Ulster County.

4 July 4 Celebration Celebrate liberty on the 4th of July with a parade, street fair, music, food, children's activities and much more. Festivities begin at 10am. 845-292-9797. Downtown, Liberty, NY. Sullivan County.

4 Independence Day at the Mill Children's fishing derby with frog jumping contest and 19th century-themed games & contests. Also, enjoy a free sample of ice cream made with ice collected during the ice harvest, and churned in a steam-powered ice cream maker. Sawmill, waterwheel, and steam boiler & engine demonstrations throughout the day.

County Hwys 10 &12, East Meredith, NY 13757. Delaware County.

4 Rip Lives Festival Over 50 statues throughout the towns of Haines Falls, Tannersville, Hunter, Windham, Jewett and Ashland, along routes 23 & 23a, as interpreted by the over 50 fine artists and craftspeople who were inspired by Washington Irving's imaginative story that has captivated so many people worldwide.

Various locations throughout the mountaintop. Greene County.

7 UCI MTB World Cup Bike Race World cup mountain biking is returning to the US. Windham Mountain will host a triple event featuring cross-country, downhill and four cross. Through July 10. Windham Mountain, Clarence D. Lane Road, Windham, NY 12496. Greene County.

9 49th Annual Wayne County Antiques Show Through July 10: Saturday 10am-5pm: Sunday 11am-4pm: furniture, coins, books, art, china, collectibles, quilts, silver and more. Sponsored by the Woman's Club of Honesdale. Wayne Highland Middle School, Grove and Terrace Streets, Honesdale, PA.

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NEIGHBORS

LOCAL EVENTS & HAPPENINGS

9 48th Annual Antique & Craft Fair This annual event is a great place to enjoy shopping for antiques, collectibles, and crafts of all kinds. Hours: 10:00am to 4:00pm.

607-832-4205. St. James Church, State Route 28, Bovina, NY 13740. Delaware County.

9 Hudson Athens Lighthouse Tours Spirit of Hudson pontoon boat carries passengers to the HudsonAthens lighthouse where they disembark for a tour. 11am-3pm.

Boat departs from the Athens village waterfront at the Athens village park, Water Street, Athens, NY 12015. Greene County.

9 35th Annual Tour Of Homes Featuring sites in the town of New Baltimore, which celebrates its bicentennial this year. Hosted by the Greene County Historical Society with assistance from the New Baltimore Conservancy.

Hours: 10am-4pm. Tickets: $25. Various historic homes in the town of New Baltimore, New Baltimore, NY 12124. Greene County.

9 Athens Street Festival Fun family day with live music, classic car show, rides, lighthouse tours, fireworks, martial arts and dance. 10am-11pm. Athens riverfront park and surrounding streets, Athens, NY 12015.

Greene County.

10 Callicoon Canoe Regatta 8am-l2pm. 7-mile canoe race down the Delaware River from Calliooon to Skinner's Falls. Fun for the whole family. From local competition to serious racers, from rental canoes to carbon fiber cruisers. Awards ceremony at Skinner's Falls following the race.

845-887-5640. Delaware River, Callicoon, NY. Sullivan County.

10 Irish Arts Week A week of classes by master teachers in a wide range of Irish dance, music, history, language and crafts. Classes run all week from 10:30am-4pm, through July 16. Various locations within the East Durham community. East Durham, NY 12423. Greene County.

10 Old Stone House Gallery Exhibit Lou Jawitz will be exhibiting "the secular & the other-worldly" at the old stone house of Hasbrouck, through August 6 with an opening reception July 10 from 1-4pm. Jawitz's work has been widely exhibited. 845-434-0575. Route 42, Woodbourne, NY. Sullivan County.

10 Summer Music Festival Through July 24. World-class musicians in WCM's 18th summer music festival performances, workshops and musical talks to engage and inspire audiences in the intimate art of chamber music. The festival starts in Jeffersonville, continues with 6 events over two weeks and concludes with on Saturday with a grand finale concert and meet-the-artist reception on the barn porch at the idyllic farm. 845-932-8527. Eddie Adams Farm, North Branch Rd., Jeffersonville, NY. Sullivan County.

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12 "Jekyll & Hyde" Main stage performances through July 24. Tuesday-Saturday at 8pm. Wednesday at 2pm, Sun at 3pm. A true musical theatre phenomenon, based on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic story about a brilliant doctor whose experiments with human personality create a murderous counterpart, is brought to life with a brilliant musical score. 845-794-1194. Forestburgh Playhouse & Tavern, 39 Forestburgh Rd., Forestburgh, NY. Sullivan County.

16 Windham Chamber Music Festival 34 musicians play Haydn, Copland, Ravel, Cascarino and Johann Strauss. Complimentary reception following the performance at the Windham Fine Arts Gallery. Hours: 8-10pm. Cost: $35/ general, $30/seniors, $15/contributors, $5/students. Windham Civic & Performing Arts Center, 5379 State Route 23 (Main Street), Windham, NY 12496. Greene County.

16 Centennial Celebration Through July 17. 10am-4pm: free, flea market, parade, entertainment car show, carnival, rides, and food. 845-434-7447.

Downtown. Green Avenue, Woodridge, NY. Sullivan County.

17 West Branch International Music Festival The West Branch music festival brings together an internationally recognized group of classical artists that have graced the stages of many of the world's major concert halls. Student workshops throughout the event, through August 1st. Hosted at the West Branch Resort. 150 Faulkner Road, Hancock, NY 13783.

Delaware County.

17 Antique Appraisal Show 1-4pm: $5/per item appraised. Appraisal of antiques and collectibles by professional appraiser. 845-434-8044. Sullivan County Museum & Sullivan County Historical Society, 255 Main St., Hurleyville, NY. Sullivan County.

17 "Buddha and The Rock Star" Stage performance at 4pm: $10-20 sliding scale, $5 children. An experimental dance theatre performance by an ensemble of Montreal video artists, actors, and dancers. Directed by Rosaruby Kagan. The performance is structured as a woman's daily meditation, running the gamut of human experience (adult content). NACL Theatre, 110 Highland Lake Rd., Highland Lake, NY. Sullivan County.

21 Greene County Youth Fair Family-oriented activites, including animal demonstrations, entertainment, and food. Thursday, Saturday. 9am-9pm. Sunday, 12-5pm. Free admission.

Canna Park, Mountain Avenue, Cairo, NY 12413.

County.

shows, Friday, Angelo Greene

22 Battle of Minisink Memorial Event 11am-4pm, free admission, remembrance gathering for patriots who died at the battle of Minisink on July 22, 1779. Minisink Battleground Park, Route 97/ County Rd. 168, Barryville, NY. Sullivan County.

23 Farmstock 2011 Visitors tour with the farmers through the cow fields, greenhouses, vegetable and fruit fields, chicken coops and flower cutting garden. Kids will have a chance to pet the animals, and listen to the banjo. 845-985-2519. Neversink Farm, 635 Claryville Rd., Claryville, NY. Sullivan County.

23 Hobart Horseshoe Festival This annual event is fun for all, with live entertainment, food, and fireworks. Free admission. Hours: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. 607-5389967. Hobart's Community Center & Grounds, next to the Hobart Fire Department, Hobart, NY 13788. Delaware County.

23 Sullivan County Garden Tour 10am-4pm; $25. The tour will open several exclusive and private gardens for public viewing. There are a limited number of tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis. A reception for ticket holders and garden owners follows the tour. 845-795-1350 x1050.

At many beautiful private gardens in Sullivan County.

24 River Run 8-11am. 5K race on a beautiful flat course along the scenic Delaware River. 845-887-5155. Downtown. River Road, Callicoon, NY. Sullivan County.

24 Riverfest 10am-5pm. A music, arts and environmental festival with artists & artisans, music & food. 845-252-7576. Downtown Main St., Narrowsburg, NY. Sullivan County.

26 The Buddy Holly Story Through August 7, main stage performances Tuesday-Saturday at 8pm, Wednesday at 2pm, Sunday at 3pm. 845-794-1194.

Forestburgh Playhouse & Tavern, 39 Forestburgh Road, Forestburgh, NY. Sullivan County.

29 12th Annual Northeast U.S.A. Vietnam Veterans Reunion Annual memorial service on Saturday at noon. There will be color guards, firing squads and an abundance of American pride! Great music and food. 1/2 mile West of the intersection of Routes 32 & 81, Greenville, NY 12083. Greene County.

29 Photography Exhibit Brian Moss through August 2.

Delaware Arts Center. 37 Main Street, Narrowsburg, NY. Sullivan County.

30 Ice Cream Run for Kid's Sake Motorcycle Run Hamden to Deposit Ride for a cause. Enjoy the scenic Catskills while helping seriously ill children. Over 750 motorcycles participate with food, music and other events at the end of the run. 607-746-7244.

Hamden, NY 13782. Delaware County.

30 5th Annual Tannersville Crazy Race & Festival Build a racer from a flower pot, garbage can, bed or anything and race down Main Street. No motors allowed and you must be able to stop and steer. Festival with craft vendors and music all day line both sides of the street. Hours: 11am-4pm. Free admission. Main street/Route 23a, Tannersville, NY 12485. Greene County.

AUGUST 2 Ulster County Fair One price admission includes all entertainment, shows, exhibits, mid-way rides and parking. Children 4 & under free. Car-load night Tuesday, senior day Thursday. Lots of fun from Tuesday through Sunday August 7. 249 Libertyville Road, New Paltz, NY 12561. Ulster County.

4 Voicefest 2011 The Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice presents a 4 day program offering world-class vocal artists in the central Catskill mountains. Performances will take place in multiple venues in the Hamlet of Phoenicia through August 7. Phoenicia, NY 12464.

Ulster County.

4 Janet Jackson in Concert 7:30pm doors open! 9:00pm is show time. Janet Jackson will be performing songs from her 35 number one hits. 845-583-2000.

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Road., Bethel, NY. Sullivan County.

5 3rd New Kingston Film Festival The New Kingston film festival is about community, nature, ruralism, good films and friends. 845-586-6007. New Kingston, NY 12459. Delaware County.

5 "Tour Of The Catskills" 4th annual pro-am bicycle road race that brings racers from throughout the US to race in the heart of the Catskill mountains.

Similar race structure to the Tour de France. Through Agust 7.

Various routes throughout the Hunter & Windham area. Greene County.

6 Shandelee Music Festival Through August 20. Internationally acclaimed classical artists will perform in an intimate and inspirational setting. All concerts are followed by a meet the artists reception. 845-439-3277. Shandelee Music Festival, 442 Young Road. Livingston Manor, NY. Sullivan County.

6 5th Annual Batavia Kill Stream Celebration A family event celebrating the Catskills' streams. Guided hikes along Batavia Kill, fishing contests, plant and bird walks, music & theater. Free admission. Hours: 10am-5pm. Rain date: August.

Country Suite Bed and Breakfast, State Route 23, Ashland, NY 12407. Greene County.

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NEIGHBORS

LOCAL EVENTS & HAPPENINGS

6 42nd Annual Margaretville Antique And Craft Fair Featuring over 150 dealers with antiques, crafts, jewelry, quilt raffle, bake sale and more. Admission: adults $2, children under 12 free. Hours: 9 am to 4 pm. 845-586-3844. Margaretville Village Park. Margaretville, NY 12455. Delaware County.

6 Art and Soul of the Catskills A two-day event filled with visual and literary art, food, and music. Juried programs in food, arts and crafts. All activities are free and open to the public through August 7. Up and down Main Street, Courthouse Square, Delhi, NY 13753. Delaware County.

6 Catskill Mountain Feis Irish step dancing competition. Watch the skill and technique that these dancers have. Hours: 8am-5pm. Blackthorne Resort, 348 Sunside Road, East Durham, NY 12423. Greene County.

6 Hudson River Maritime Museum's Steamboat Days Experience what life was like on the Hudson River over a hundred years ago. Free rides on authentic small steamboats. 11 am-4 pm.

Hudson River Maritime Museum, 50 Rondout Landing, Kingston, NY 12401. Ulster County.

6 Annual Windham Art Fest Galleries & Studios Tours Major exhibition and sale of noted mountaintop artisans.

Refreshments served. Tour maps available thoughout Windham.

Hours: 10am-4pm. Free admission. Various galleries & studios throughout the town of Windham, Windham, NY 12496. Greene County.

7 Rip Van Winkle's Wacky Raft Race Join the excitement and enter your own wacky raft or just come to enjoy the day and cheer on your favorite competitors. Start time 11am at Riverfront Park, Athens. Finish line at Dutchman's Landing, end of Main Street, Catskill. Awards, food, live entertainment. Hudson River between Athens and Catskill, NY.

LOCAL HUDSON VALLEY FARMER’S MARKETS Allison Farms Jon and Christine Allison 215 Hasbrouck Road Woodbourne, NY 12788 PH: (845) 436-4269 Barryville Farmers' Market Penni Buchal Intersection Rt 97 & Rt 55 Barryville, NY 12719 PH: (845) 932-8348 Beaver Dam Brook Farms Matt Burns 89 Crumley Van Vactor Road Ferndale , NY 12734 PH: (845) 292-3159 Bethel Farmers Market at Kauneonga Lake Allison Ruef Horseshoe Lake Road, Kauneonga Lake, NY PH: (845) 985-2425 Catskill Harvest Market 2758 State Route 52, Liberty, NY 12754 PH: (845) 292-3838 Diehl's Farm Market Betty Long 619 Gabel Rd. & 52A Callicoon , NY 12723 PH: (845) 887-4935 earthgirl Flowers Jill Wiener 92 Bayer Road Callicoon Center, NY 12724 PH: (845) 482-4976

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Fiddlers Flea Market Babette Ross 1080 Route 17B PO Box 192 Mongaup Valley, NY Frost Valley YMCA 2000 Frost Valley Road Claryville, NY 12725 PH: (845) 985-2291 Green Design Sharon Green 3973 State Route 52 Youngsville, NY 12791 PH: (845) 482-4059 Harvest Festival at Bethel Woods Hurd and West Shore Road PH: (845) 295-2448 Mosswood Gardens 291 Maple Ave. Greenville, NY 12083 PH: (518) 966-8470 Muthig Farm Raymond & Dorothy Muthig 681 Muthig Road Parksville, NY 12786 PH: (845) 292-7838 Neversink Farm Conor Crickmore 1150 Hunter Rd Claryville, NY 12725 PH: (845) 985-2519 Panther Rock Farm Maria Grimaldi 148 Hardenburgh Road, Livingston Manor , NY PH: (845) 482-4164

Emerald Earth Organics Diane Gibson 40 Houghtaling Road Hurleyville, NY 12747 PH: (845) 434-0901

Pine Bush Farmers Market Off Main Street Pine Bush, NY 12566 PH: (845) 658-3002

Eureka Market & Cafe Jennifer Grimes 7991 State Route 55 Grahamsville, NY 12740

River Brook Farm Alice Fitzgerald Route 97 and 18C Meyer Road Cochecton , NY

Sara's Sugar Shack John & Sara Diehl 34 Hubbard Road Callicoon , NY 12723 PH: (845) 887-5308 Silver Heights Farm Trina Pilonero 7381 Route 52 PO Box 48 Cocheton Center, NY 12727 PH: (845) 482-3608 Sullivan County Farmers' Markets Association (SCFMA) Mary Gruszka 64 Ferndale Loomis Road Liberty, NY 12752 SCFMA holds open-air farmers' markets in Sullivan County: Callicoon, NY: Sundays 11 am - 2 pm Audley Dorrer Drive Liberty, NY: Fridays 3 pm - 6 pm Darbee Lane Jeffersonville, NY: Thursdays 4 pm - 7 pm Route 52 (Main Street) The Cutting Garden 4055 State Route 52 Youngsville, NY 12791 PH: (845) 482-3333 Tonjes Farm Dairy Tim Tonjes 188 Tonjes Road Callicoon, NY 12723 PH: (845) 482-5971 Vita's Farm and Garden Market 4789 State Route 52 Jeffersonville, NY 12748 PH: (845) 482-5776

Greene County.

9 "Chicago" August 9-21. Tuesday-Saturday at 5pm, Wednesday at 2pm, Sunday at 3pm. A great story, great dance, and a musical score brimming with hits. 845-794-1194. Forestburgh Playhouse & Tavern, 39 Forestburgh Road, Forestburgh, NY. Sullivan County.

12 Bluegrass In Greenville A 3-day festival with camping, craft vendors and demonstrations.

Admission: $15/Friday & Sun, $20/Saturday, $38/prepay, $48/gate. Through August 14. 1.2 mile West of Greenville on Route 81. Look for signs. Greenville, NY 12083. Greene County.

13 Community Day in Andes A day of fun the whole family will enjoy. Parade, music, flea market, historical crafts, fun games for kids and lunch served at the hunting tavern. 845-676-3980. Village of Andes, Andes, NY 13731. Delaware County.

13 By The Light Of The Silvery Moon The pleasures & perils of the nightlife in times past, period refreshments, music, and storyteller. Hours: 7:30-9:30pm.

Admission: $7/adults, $3.50/members & children. Bronck museum 90 County Route 42 (just off Route 9W), Coxsackie, NY 12051. Greene County.

13 Windham Chamber Music Festival Peter Kerkin In Recital. The brilliant American pianist with Shirien Taylor-Donahue playing violin. Hours: 8-9:45pm.

Admission: $25/general, $20/seniors. Windham Civic & Performing Arts Center, 5379 State Route 23 (Main Street), Windham, NY 12496. Greene County.

13 Saugerties Artists Studio Tour Discover the work of painters, furniture makers, sculptors, print-makers, potters, and photographers. 10 am - 6 pm, through August 14. At artist studios in Saugerties Village & Town.

Saugerties, NY 12477. Ulster County.

13 Warrior Dash The ultimate event for thrill-seeking athletes. This running series is held on demanding and unique terrain. Participants will conquer extreme obstacles, through August 14. Windham Mountain, Clarence D. Lane Road, Windham, NY 12496.

Greene County.

14 Tommy James & the Shondells, Blood. Sweat & Tears 5pm doors open: 5:30pm is show time. 845-583-2000. Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Road, Bethel, NY. Sullivan County.

15 Delaware County Fairr Annual county fair, cows, tractor pull contest, demolition derby, horse shows, 4-H shows. Country music Saturday night. Through August 20. 607-865-4763. Walton Fair Grounds, Walton, NY 13856. Delaware County.

18 Little World's Fair Through August 21. Old-fashioned family fun with entertainment, rides, the Sullivan County Youth Fair and more.

845-985-7367. Grahamsville Fairgrounds, Route 55, Grahamsville, NY. Sullivan County.

20 Encampment Of The Third Ulster County Militia Re-enactors represent the people and cultures of 18th century. Demonstrations of living quarters, garb, and firearms. Free. 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. Hurley Reformed Church, 11 Main Street, Hurley, NY 12443. Ulster County.

20 International Celtic Festival This festival brings you the sights and sounds of the emerald isles. World-class musicians from Ireland and US perform through August 21. Hunter Mountain Ski Bowl, Route 23a, Hunter, NY 12442. Greene County.

20 Hurley Corn Festival Craft and antique vendors, colonial craft demonstrations, children's activities, and food, including delicious corn chowder.

Rain or shine. $3 admission, children under 12 free. 10:00 am 4:00 pm. Hurley Reformed Church, 11 Main Street, Hurley, NY 12443. Ulster County.

21 DVAA 35th Anniversary Gala 5-8pm: $75/person. Delaware Valley Arts Alliance, The Arts Council for Sullivan County, celebrates 35 years of arts programs.

Cash bar followed by full dinner with wine included, music, silent auction, and more. 845-252-7576. Eagle's Nest, Bloomingburg, NY. Sullivan County.

21 Catskills Ride ‘n Peak Benefit Bike Ride Rain or shine, riders will be able to view the beauty of the Catskills on one of five rides from 14 to 104 miles, starting and ending in Margaretville. 845-586-3500. Margaretville, NY 12455. Delaware County.

23 "Ain't Misbehavin' " Main stage performance through September 4. Tuesday-Saturday at 8pm, Wednesday at 2pm, Sunday at 2pm. The comic and musical soul of 1930s Harlem. 845-794-1194. Forestburgh Playhouse & Tavern, 39 Forestburgh Road, Forestburgh, NY. Sullivan County.

26 Bluestock 3-day music festival featuring top blues & blues rock through August 28. Hunter mountain ski bowl route 23a, Hunter, NY 12442. Greene County.

23

NEIGHBORS

LOCAL EVENTS & HAPPENINGS

26 Nancy Palubniak Exhibit Through September 17. Tuesday-Friday 9am-5pm; Saturday 10am-4pm. Mixed media. 845-252-7576. Delaware Arts Center, 37 Main Street, Narrowsburg, NY 12764. Sullivan County.

27 Music With Altitude: A Night Of Trios Yehuda Hanani On Cello, James Tocco On Piano, Shmuel Ashkenasi On Violin. Mendelssohn C Minor Piano Trio: Beethoven Trio Opus 11 in b-flat major. Starts at 8pm. Doctorow Center for the Arts, 7971 Route 23a (Main Street), Hunter, NY 12442. Greene County.

28 Wine Festival 11 am-4pm, $10 general admission, $5 designated driver, tickets only available at the gate. Features regional wineries. 845-5832000. Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Road, Bethel, NY. Sullivan County.

SEPTEMBER 2 Music with Altitude: Romantic Traditions Vassily Primakov on piano. Chopin, Rachmaninof, and works by Ossip Gabrilowitch. Starts at 8pm. Admission: $20. Doctorow Center for the Arts, 7971 Route 23a (Main Street), Hunter, NY 12442. Greene County.

3 Windham Chamber Music Festival Lyric piano quartet. Music of Brahms and Faure. Hours: 8-9:30pm. Admission: $25/general, $20/seniors, $5/students.

Windham Civic & Performing Arts Center, 5379 Route 23/Main St., Windham, NY 12496. Greene County.

3 CAS Exhibit Through October 9, Thurs-Sat 11am-5pm & Sunday 11 am3pm. Work by Janice Demarino. 845-436-4227. Catskill Art Society. 48 Main St. Livingston Manor, NY. Sullivan County.

3 Woodstock/New Paltz Art & Craft Fair Labor day weekend. Saturday & Sunday, 10 am - 6 pm, Monday 10 am - 4 pm. $8/adults, $7/seniors, children 12 & under free.

Ulster County Fair Grounds, 249 Libertyville Rd., New Paltz, NY 12561. Ulster County.

4 6th Annual Farm Fair Enjoy farm produce and crafts markets, sample regional foods, peruse artwork, and antiques. Live music. West Kortright Centre, 49 West Kortright Church Road, East Meredith, NY 13757.

Delaware County.

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24

LOCAVORE

RESTAURANT REVIEW

Peekamoose Restaurant 8373 STATE ROUTE 28 BIG INDIAN, NY 12410 (845) 254-6500 PEEKAMOOSERESTAURANT.COM

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF THE RESTAURANT

One doesn’t expect to find a 5-star restaurant in the Catskills. Having said that and hearing that Peekamoose was a bit pricey and upscale for the area, I was not prepared to be overwhelmed. But then I met their caramelized Vidalia onion tart oozing Sherman Hill farm’s chevre with fresh thyme on a glorious delicate puff pastry, and I was hooked. I should have sensed what was coming next from the delicate crab amuse bouche.

One of our friends started his meal with the Boston Bibb and frisee salad with Honeycrisp apples, Harpersfield cow’s milk cheese, and toasted almonds; another with the mesclun salad and the perfectly textured goat cheese and beet gnocchi. The richest choice was a roasted squash soup with an ethereal Balsamic reduction. We could almost not stop eating the warm and fresh Focaccia bread.

One of us had a terrific steak; tender, succulent and moist, served with perfectly roasted Brussels sprouts, turnip puree, and a horseradish cream. Another enjoyed savory oven-roasted pork tenderloin with braised red cabbage and amazing mashed potatoes. Everyone thought the short ribs were the best. They were tender, with the meat falling off the bone (don’t forget to try the pastrami cured by the chef and made from local, grass-fed beef ). I had pan-roasted

Artic char with seared beets, shallots, celery veloute, and aromatic white truffle oil.

Save room for dessert. The organic blueberry buttermilk pannacotta was rich and creamy and so was the chocolate mousse.

Our waiter was friendly and knowledgeable about the wine list and the menu, and how to marry the two. We had quite a bit of wine, from a wonderful St. Emilion to a young Italian Pinot Grigio, and a delicious pear port to conclude.

This restaurant is not just in the Catskills Preserve, it is at Big Indian, a refuge of sorts as rich with history as it is with beauty. The evening we were there was lovely, with wisps of mist rising from the country roads. Considering the fine wines available, do not volunteer to be the designated driver. The decor at Peekamoose was as interesting as the food, integrating a fine dining experience into a comfortable country setting. The menu reflects the chef ’s classical training in French and Italian cuisine, yet introduces some of the best that local farms and markets can produce.

So, in a word, GO! Dinner at Peekamoose makes any day a special occasion.

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LOCAVORE

FARMING

Ancient Traditions.

Modern Practices.

There is great interest in sustainable agriculture and local farm production in the Hudson Valley and across the country. It would seem to be motivated by the growing trend and demand for all things organic and for our fervent embrace of the environment. But I suggest that our motives are more refined than we know; it may be that this movement is part of our inward search for holiness.

Religious and philosophical reflection on agriculture and the environment has a long history. Early in the Old Testament, God promised an abundance of land flowing with milk and honey, while making us mindful of these gifts by placing restrictions on how and what foods and resources may be consumed.

Although grounded in biblical tradition, centuries later, the philosophers Plato and Aristotle emphasized the importance of knowledgeable agriculture in the quest for a good life. These fundamental values associated with agriculture were encouraged by great thinkers, who underscored the political, economic, and philosophical importance of farming. Agriculture in America has thus long been the focus of questions about values and practices, and the nature and consequences of the system in which animals and produce become food.

This is reflected in the culture of organic farmers, who have accepted the ancient ethical principles that have become the moral fiber of family managed farming. Organic farming has supported the value of sufficient, healthy and sustainable food supplies. Whether inspired by traditions or the culture of organics, we still need to know that we can eat from a farm where the workers are fairly-treated, and the animals raised without pesticides and biochemicals that harm the environment. We can take additional steps to implement humane animal treatment. Not surprisingly, these smaller, family style farms promote humane alternatives to animal abuse. They hold that there is a moderate, humane, and sustainable way for humans to consume a higher grade of animal products.

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We can all believe that we are part of a civilized culture that does not condone mass factory farm abuse. If we hold this to be true, we have an obligation to make sure that ‘natural,’ ‘organic’ and ‘free range’ are more than labels designed primarily for marketing purposes.

Although an organic label does not guarantee good farming or business practices by the producer, we can presume that an organic product will have required less chemicals and toxins on the way from farm to table. Besides reducing pollution going into the environment, we can also reduce pollution going into our own bodies.

Another practice that is compliant with our moral being is the concept of buying local. Shipping foods across vast distances has tremendous costs for the environment, while buying locally-produced goods reduces the miles our food has to travel. It is critical to the process of respecting our communities that we support the local economy. After all, these are our neighbors.

A friend of ours has a small farm near Jeffersonville, where they raise sheep and chickens. As the weather got warmer, we were invited to a sheep-shearing celebration at the farm.

Our friend’s son was the grand tour master, knowing every inch of the grazing land and dancing with the sheep after they were shorn. I was reminded of a Jewish tradition of not cutting a child’s hair until age three. That ‘upshearing’ too, was always followed by a joyous celebration.

But they also chose a spring lamb for slaughter that month.

They asked a local Rabbi, an expert on ritual slaughter, to ends its life. It was quick and almost painless. The meat was blessed, and so were we with the most delicious lamb chops ever. This was more than ethical farming. This was an event where ancient precepts truly connected with modern ecology.

Ecologically prepared food suggests that we should only consume products that meet both health and ethical CONT’D ON PAGE 28

PHOTO: ILLUSTRART

LOCAVORE

ANCIENT TRADITIONS. MODERN PRACTICES

standards. Eco-consumers encourage food producers to care for the environment, their animals and their workers.

But does this movement for self-improvement matter?

After all, Americans spend more annually on the purchase of garbage bags than the combined GDP of 90 of the world's developing nations. I say: Yes. Clearly the time has come to connect food practice to the world in which we live and the values we hold, as well as to support our own intrinsic quest to promote holiness.

We even see it in the growing number of vegetarians who are starting to eat humanely-raised meat. Many who were ethically motivated and health-conscious vegetarians have rethought their choices and decided that eating meat selectively is better for the planet and their own health.

Eating sustainable meat purchased from small farmers has become a new form of activism — allowing independent, small-scale food producers who raise pasture-fed livestock in a sustainable and ethical manner to redefine who we are as consumers.

Important to many of us is where an animal has been allowed to graze instead of being fed an unnatural and difficult-to-digest diet. Often, consumers don’t even realize that the meat and milk from grass-fed cattle will probably have higher amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, which may help reduce the risk of heart disease and strengthen one's immune system. What benefits the environment, what is good for the animals we consume, is also good for us physically and morally.

Mealtime every day is a chance to affirm our values and have an immediate effect on something we are concerned

about. If a person can be disciplined in what and when he eats, it follows that he can be disciplined in other areas of life as well. Managing food production and consumption with a conscience instills self-discipline. That was the fundamental reason for the ancient dietary laws.

The dietary laws inhabited every element in the food chain for a reason. They were meant to teach moral lessons about being sensitive to other creatures’ needs and feelings.

A mother goat and her young were forbidden to be slaughtered on the same day. It was forbidden to boil a kid in its mother's milk. It was considered an abomination. A perfect word, abomination, isn’t it? And when an animal was to be slaughtered, it had to be done with the least possible pain; a special knife was employed which was so sharp that even the slightest nick in the blade rendered it impermissible to use.

Restrictions and admonitions are not limited to avoiding pain during slaughter. Rules required that the animal was also not abused prior to slaughter. There is a need to ensure that both the chickens and the workers on the farm that produces them and their eggs are not mistreated.

And today, we need to care that the food we buy has not been treated with harmful pesticides. We want a socially ethical farm process that incorporates environmental health as well as the social and economic well-being of all involved in food production. We should be locavores and encourage local farm production with sustainable food options. And in our mindfulness, consumption is then not just about filling our bellies.

The inculcation of these philosophies, ethics, religious rules, call it what you will, in our lives leads us closer to wholeness, to holiness.

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LOCAVORE

WINERY

Honest Vintners, Honest Vintage EMINENCE ROAD FARM WINERY 3734 EMINENCE ROAD LONG EDDY, NY 12760 EMINENCEROAD.COM PHONE: 845-887-6280 “Drink what you like. Always drink what you like.”

Jennifer and Andrew describe their approach to enjoying wine, is to understand how they choose to create their ‘honest’ wine. Their intention was to let the grapes be themselves and bottle a wine that tastes more like the field where it was grown than the cellar where it was stored. They value honesty over any other wine quality, so to that end their own vineyards, and those of growers they rely on, are not managed with the goal of a completely sterile, insect, fungus and weed-free environment.

PHOTO: AARON FERTIG

CONT’D ON PAGE 30

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LOCAVORE

HONEST VINTNERS, HONEST VINTAGE

The winery is a reconfigured cow barn built into the hillside 30

Their grapes are hand harvested into picking boxes and driven down to the barn, usually in one or two ton batches.

They sort the fruit to remove any leaves or lesser berries and then crush it in small tubs with their feet. They do not de-stem or use mechanical crushers, it is all done by hand.

The tubs are dumped into a bin where natural yeast starts the fermentation process. They manually ‘punch down’ the contents of the bin twice a day and after about two weeks they start to press.

OTHER PHOTOS: ELLIE OHISO

Having discovered that there was a niche to fill with a locally produced wine, they have succeeded with Eminence Road Farm Winery. All of their wine is naturally fermented and bottled by hand. Fining and filtering, common in most commercial wineries are not used to create their wines.

in Long Eddy, New York in a mountain valley at the southern edge of Delaware County. They have a few hundred pinot noir and chardonnay vines growing on an eastern slope of silt/loam soil over bluestone. This year, for the first time, they were spared a late-spring frost and the pinot noir has set a nice crop. October is still a long way off but there is the possibility of a Long Eddy pinot noir in 2011. The majority of the fruit comes from the Finger Lake region, from two talented growers on the east side of Seneca Lake and one with a southern exposure on the west side of Lake Cayuga.

CENTER PHOTO: JENNIFER CLARK

Andrew explains, “My wife and I purchased a second home in Long Eddy in 2001 because it was affordable and the fishing was good. At the time we had no serious intentions of opening a winery though we did immediately begin planting fruit trees and vines just for fun. In Manhattan we had become interested in wine, particularly French country wines from the Loire Valley. We had been making wine at home for years and decided why not, so in 2007 we began the licensing process, made some renovations to the barn, bought some equipment, and in 2008 made our first batch of commercial wine; a crisp chardonnay from Seneca Lake grapes. The wine sold out in three weeks and we knew we were on to something.”

The juice is allowed to settle overnight and then pumped into barrels where it will continue to ferment in a cool Catskill cellar well into the next summer. When all fermentation has finished the wine is racked and bottled young without fining or filtration just in time to make room for the next years wine. The end result is chewy, rustic red that is always very much ‘of the vintage.’

In other wineries, additives like yeast nutrients, color stabilizers, oak powders and packaged tannin have become commonplace, as well as sugar, acid, antacid and water. They are used to encourage trouble free fermentations, correct perceived deficiencies and to add, enhance or diminish flavors and textures. Andrew doesn’t feel he has to add richness, smooth out rough edges or give his wine an exaggerated fruitiness. He prefers wine to be at least a little bit alive, to taste different every vintage, to be at once familiar and exotic and to challenge and hopefully charm the drinker with every glass. It is Andrew’s preference to bottle wine with as little processing as possible, and as he cautions, "know your grower."

For now, Jennifer Clark, Andrew Scott and their dog, Lester are content. They will expand as needed without having to resort to mechanized processing. Right now they bottle a little over 500 cases a year. Their immediate goal is to double that to 1000 cases, which should be enough to sustain a modest lifestyle and still be a manageable amount of wine for the two person (and a dog), by-hand operation.

Oh, and to maintain the values that they have brought back to farming, while remembering, always, to drink what you like.

Their wines are available at all of the Sullivan County and Barryville Farmers' markets and through direct shipping from the winery.

The winery is open on Saturdays year-round.

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LOCAVORE

RECIPE

Gravlax Cured Salmon 2 CUPS KOSHER SALT 2 TABLESPOONS CRACKED BLACK PEPPERCORNS 1 BUNCH OF DILL 1/2 CUP SUGAR 1 (4 LB.) SIDE SALMON FILLET

Rinse salmon under cool water and pat dry.

Place a smaller glass baking-dish on top of plastic wrap.

Roughly crush peppercorns in mortar and pestle. Mix salt, sugar, and peppercorns in a bowl. Lay half of dill in a shallow glass baking-dish.

Place two bricks or two heavy cans on smaller baking dish to weight the salmon.

Place the salmon skin down on the dill. Pour the salt, sugar, dill mixture evenly over the salmon. Do not leave any flesh exposed. Place half bushel of dill over salmon.

Refrigerate for at least 24 hours, but preferable 48 hours or longer to thoroughly cure the salmon. Periodically, drain excess liquid from dish.

Remove from refrigerator and discard plastic wrap.

Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of salmon. You can also wrap the salmon tightly in plastic wrap. Either way is fine.

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Scrape excess dill and peppercorns from the salmon.

PHOTO RIGHT: ALEX NIKA PHOTO LEFT: AARON FERTIG

You can rinse the salmon under cold water, but I prefer not to for a saltier more intense flavor.

To serve, slice salmon, at angle, into paper-thin slices. Plate with dill, lemon, and sliced crusty bread.

Traditionally, it is served with a mustard sauce. I like my gravlax simple, so usually forego the mustard, but Chef Marcus Samuelsson has a nice Black Mustard recipe online.

Pairs well with a chilled white Burgundy.

A Brief History of Gravlax Gravlax is a Nordic recipe created by fisherman during the Middle Ages.

The word Gravlax comes from the Scandinavian word grav, which means “grave” or “hole in the ground” and lax which means “salmon.”

Gravlax means “buried salmon.” Fisherman used to bury the salmon in the sand just above high-tide.

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TRAVEL AKIRA OHISO

Back To The Future 86 When New Yorkers started spending summers in the Catskills it was to escape the cramped conditions and sweltering summers of New York City, specifically the Lower East Side. For poor immigrant families, air-conditioning was a luxury. A 2-hour drive to the mountains of Sullivan County made the thermometer drop 10 degrees and one could sit in less of a shvitz.

The Catskills became a growing destination for city dwellers, which flourished into hundreds of bungalow colonies and famous hotels like Grossinger’s, Kutsher’s, and the Concord.

It was a rite of passage to spend a summer in the Catskills.

Through the middle of the 20th century, the Catskills was the place to be. Almost every comic played the Catskills, Hollywood stars like Eddie Fischer and Liz Taylor frequented Grossinger’s, and Rocky Marciano trained during the summer. The Catskills were booming.

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After 9/11, air-travel became a Kafkaesque experience.

People didn’t travel out of fear. The staycation made a comeback. More people are doing the long road trips of my youth again. My parents used to drive to Maine, Vermont, and Cape Cod and I have fond memories of backseat boredom on those long trips. The boredom spurred us to pay attention to the landscape. We talked to each other. We played license plate games. We read books.

I remember a discussion in Catch-22, where a character has the solution to living a longer life. He says to “cultivate boredom.”

My childhood was fed by boredom.

Long summers where I experienced the smell of grass, where I had to brush dirt out of my fingernails during bath time, where a scabbed knee, splinter, or stubbed toe was the price you paid for childhood freedom.

Today, if a child drinks from a hose his parents immediately think worst-case scenario. Childhood has become parental reactions to worst-case scenarios and a media-fed culture of fear.

Then in the early seventies, hotels started to close and whole bungalow colonies were abandoned. Air-conditioning and air travel were more affordable. Summer vacationers wanted to go to exotic places instead of Sullivan County.

The wood-paneled station wagon vacation declined.

Hospitality built around the car was also declining as Howard Johnson’s and the Holiday Day Inn downsized and changed their business model. I miss the HoJo’s fried clam platter.

Alain De Botton in his book The Art of Travel surmises that perhaps the thought of a vacation and the vacation itself are two different experiences and the latter is always a letdown filled with schedules, itineraries, accommodations, and jet lag. I remember coming back from a 10-day vacation from Europe a few years back and feeling completed exhausted. I agree with Botton to a point, when we choose to fill our vacations to avoid modern ennui. But, there is another type of vacation filled with space, not to avoid, but to embrace. Space is the feng shui of the Sabbath.

The Catskills has gone through decades of decline since the the Borscht Belt era died, yet nothing filled the void. Jobs declined, poverty increased, and apathy reigned. Old timers talked about the good-old days, but no one talked about the future.

I digress, but what I am hinting at is a return to the slowness of life and this includes our vacations as well. I don’t remember the movie, but I remember the scene. A young boy asks a wrinkled old man what the meaning of life is. The old man responds, “Slowness.”

The Catskills and Hudson Valley were never on my radar as a destination because I was the plugged in, one-click New Yorker. My plate was full and I needed it fuller. I never stopped to ask if I wanted more, though. It took me about a decade to realize that my lifestyle was not sustainable. It did not support raising a young family, maintaining my physical and mental health, and cultivating my marriage. We moved to the Catskills.

Ironically, air-travel is starting to bring people back into the area via Stewart Airport in Newburgh. In recent years, airline carriers have increased flights due to increased demand. Recently, on Route 17, soon to be I86, but now

advertised as Future 86, I saw a sign that read “Stewart to Cancun.” While I don’t foresee “Cancun to Stewart” I do eventually see “LAX to Stewart” and “O’Hare to Stewart.”

In our ever-increasing eco-conscious times, people are choosing to avoid air-conditioning and instead enjoy a cooler clime. Isn’t there an old saying, “the more things change the more things stay the same?”

People are rediscovering the beauty of the Catskills and Hudson Valley as a vacation spot and place to live. The beauty never left, but was just neglected for the new fangled.

Today, the new fangled is the old fangled. It’s back to basics, it’s back to simplicity, It’s back to the Future 86.

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35

TRAVEL

HOTEL REVIEW

A Night at the Roxbury THE ROXBURY MOTEL 2258 COUNTY HIGHWAY 41 ROXBURY, NY 12474 (607) 326-7200 INFO@THEROXBURYMOTEL.COM

A beautiful restoration/creation, the Roxbury generates an automatic reaction as you enter your room – a smile. That, and a desire to ask for whatever the design team was smoking. It was easy to get lost in the colors, textures, moods and whimsy of the guest suites.

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We stayed in the rather 70’s Shagadellic suite decorated with a lot of orange and yellow and a furry zebra-print couch. Groovy and Cool – came to mind. But it was also elegant. Each of their suites has a unique design character, but each is beautiful to behold and represents high style and creative hospitality design. Both the amenities, and the use of space are worth enjoying.

The area abounds with much to see and do, from historical architecture to breathtaking views. But you may not want to ever leave your room.

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF THE HOTEL

Our son kicked us out of our house to accommodate his friends, so we decided to make a weekend of it in Upstate New York. We were looking for summer colors; the green of rolling hills, the blue of bubbling streams and the red of barns and farms. We found all those colors and more – and they were all in our room at the Roxbury Motel!

TRAVEL THE BOOKSHELF

Summer Reading BUNGALOW KID Philip Ratzer

THE BOYS OF SUMMER Roger Kahn

FREE RANGE KIDS Lenore Skenazy

It was not unusual to spend the summer in a bungalow colony in 1958. This was particularly true if you were a twelve-year-old kid from the Bronx. Philip Ratzer beautifully recreates that world of fairyland mountains, lakes, starry nights, and dewy mornings. We long to be with his colony friends, exploring the woods, having adventures, and sharing his childhood summer romance.

You will enjoy this humorous and poignant memoir and shed a tear as you realize that there would never be another summer like this one.

When Roger Kahn decided to take a look back at the Brooklyn Dodgers of the 1950s, he probably never realized he would be recreating his own boyhood following the team. He visits with the Dodger greats to find out about their life after baseball and their own reflections on the team.

He has the ability to paint a moving picture of his heroes and allow us to share intimate times on and off the field with baseball greats like Gil Hodges and Duke Snyder. This book will send you back in time while sharing Kahn’s love of the team and the game.

Like nostalgia for the safer decades of the past, Lenore Skenazy’s work is reassuring for parents. Read this book and you will no longer be able to find a minor danger and turn it into a major concern. Her focus is on children, not parenting. We need to learn to listen to our children and trust them. When parents, teachers, and relatives all believe in their kids it can have an impact beyond measure. You will find yourself asking whether it is the things they do as children, or the things they weren’t allowed to do that define their lives.

FOR MORE SUMMER READING, VISIT GREENDOORMAG.COM 37

ENDPAPER AKIRA OHISO

Woodstock 2.0

I was born early 1970, several months after the iconic 1969 Woodstock Festival that defined a generation and a tumultuous time in American History. Growing up in the seventies and eighties, I internalized Woodstock as a “hippy love-fest” and was fascinated with the hirsute hordes, open drug-use, and unabashed nudity. I was too young to understand the message, politics, and philosophy of Woodstock, so the stereotypes stood out – tie-dye, Flower Power, a painted VW, and Jimi Hendrix.

Today, Sting and The Dave Matthews Band headline.

I didn’t know Country Joe & The Fish played Woodstock, or Sha Na Na, or, even, The Rolling Stones. I formed an image of Woodstock from bits and pieces of collaged media and the suburban upbringing of conformity and comfort.

Woodstock was fascinating, but it did not speak to me.

This summer Phish played Bethel Woods for three days and local landowners let concertgoers camp-out on their land, but they had to have a permit and limit the number of campers. Bethel officials imposed fines for too many campers and too much noise. Bethel is protecting the ex-hippie-second homeowners from a new-breed of long-haired freaky people traipsing through fledgling vineyards and disturbing their weekend getaway.

At age 41, I am living in the Catskills with my wife and two young boys, just 20 minutes from the original site of Woodstock, now called Bethel Woods replete with museum and concert venue. Bethel Woods pays homage to the original event and also lives on with vicarious contemporary

As a self-proclaimed Gen Xer, I found the whole 90’s Woodstock thing ridiculous. It went against everything that represented the original Woodstock. Kids moshed to express anger and angst instead of peace and love, nudity was the product of a sexualized society as opposed to a

PHOTO: CREATISTA

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concerts on Yasgur’s old farm. Occasionally, the antiestablishment artists of the sixties play at Bethel Woods, but they are the establishment now, and Woodstock is trademarked - remember the Woodstock concerts of the nineties.

freeing experience, and the music and attitude was rife with privilege, disposable income, and manufactured malaise.

food and products that reduce my carbon footprint. I am learning to slowdown and smell the roses still in the earth.

Woodstock became The Incorporated Trademark of Woodstock.

In the Catskills, you are reminded of the original Woodstock all the time. It is sacred in these parts. Yes, allusions to The Aquarian Age are sometimes about blatant capitalism, but the Woodstock philosophy lives on through the daily actions of anyone who love and care about themselves and their environment. Today, I do, so I sing:

I moved to the Catskills a year ago from New York City to slow down, raise a family, and get out of the rat race. My in-laws, who came of age during the original Woodstock, chose to purchase a second-home in the Catskills six years ago. My wife and I started visiting on the weekends and fell in love with whatever was the antithesis of New York City.

It was spacious, green (not environmental just yet), and quiet….”green” in New York City is putting your empty Evian bottles in the trash compactor room where they miraculously disappear the next morning.

It has been a slow process for me to get to the point where I could utter the sacrilegious thought “I’m leaving the greatest city in the world.” Today, I know what “organic” and “fair-trade” mean. I make a conscious effort to buy local

When the moon is in the Seventh House And Jupiter aligns with Mars Then peace will guide the planets And love will steer the stars This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius The Age of Aquarius Aquarius!

Aquarius!

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ENDPAPER

FLOWER POWER

23째 26'

TAKEN AT THE CUTTING GARDEN YOUNGSVILLE, NY

The summer solstice occurs exactly when the Earth's axial tilt is most inclined towards the sun. Without this tilt of the earth's axis, we would have no seasons, as the sun's rays would be directly overhead of the equator all year. It is said that magic begins to happen on the longest day and the shortest night of the year, and we can see it all around us.

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PHOTO: AARON FERTIG

After the rebirth of spring, summer brings us another type of existence. One in which the warmth of nature bring comfort to our minds and bodies. Our internal clocks slow down as we enjoy the colors of a bright flower blooming in the yard. Soon, time comes to a complete halt as we watch the ice cream melt down its cone. Summer will always be a time to smile.